Subal Leak Detector

I had minor leak in my 5D housing and leak detector saved the day, camera and lens are fine. However, my leak detector keeps on flashing any time I put the battery in. I believe leak detector has not been flooded since it was very minor leak with few drops inside the housing. I used a hair dryer to dry the interior of the housing and kept it in air-con premises for 4-5 days, but light keeps on flashing.

Any ideas or suggestions (apart from getting new leak detector)? Now I am believer, don't want to dive (too much) without one.

Many thanks,

Dragan

Have you tried a different battery??

Snap. I had a minor leak when rinsing my housing after a trip because stupidly I forgot to put the rear O Ring back in .. doh.

However there was not much water and I dried out with a hair dryer.

A month later I was at 5 metres and my LED started to oflash. When I got to the surface, dried off and removed the back plate the housing was bone dry.

I tried a new battery but to no effect. According to my supplier the leak detectors are not the best and I am having to replace the leak detector (fortunately under warranty)

I am also making a backup detector so if travelling I can insert an alternate, as on the previous trip I spent 3 days diving with no battery installed.

Keith

Yeah, I've had that problem too - even after wetting the sensor with my fingers to see if it worked! I found giving the sensor and battery a good wipe with a dry cloth resolved the problem.

A friend of mine had the same problem after a housing flood. After drying it with a hair drier failed to work I soaked the moisture detector circuit board in some methylated spirits/denatured alcohol and gave it a good drying out using a hair drier and the problem was solved.

The advice above by Gudge is the good stuff.

Give the pins of the pickup and cable a good wipe with meths and a cotton bud also - it is the salt that got left behind.

Paul C

Advice above is the right stuff.

It may be worth getting a new one. Leak detectors are there to save the day - so you want to be sure it is fully functional.

Alex

The battery is fine. I soaked the board and cleaned the terminals. Let's see how it goes.

After 2 years and 300+ dives without any alert from the leak detector, now I agree, never leave your home without one.

Thanks.

Works as advertised.

Gave the circuit board good soak in isopropyl alcohol, left it for a day and air dried it.

Thanks guys.

Works as advertised.

Glad you got your problem resolved.

The following comment is just a note for the future as you have taken care of the problem. I found that my Subal leak detector is very tempermental, for lack of a better word. When I was in Cozumel last summer,

I assembled the housing the night before my dives so it would be ready to go in the morning. When I woke up, the leak detector was flashing! I knew it couldn't possibly have been a flood as it hadn't even been wet.

I never could get the leak detector to stop flashing when in Cozumel so I just removed the battery. When I got home and reinstalled the battery, the leak detector stopped flashing. I posted here on Wetpixel about the problem and discovered others had similar problems with their leak detectors. You might want to read the earlier thread to see what experiences others have had with the Subal leak detector.

Ellen

Ultimately it comes down to leakage current.

To keep the battery life high, and there is no On/Off switch so the detector is operating 24/7, the designers of the circuit keep the operating currents very low, all of the internals are at high impedance.

In turn this means that the whole assembly is very sensitive to leakage currents. Even the moisture in your breath can set it off if you blow on the circuit board.

In high humidity, if you throw in some airborne salts they can get deposited on the board and pickup causing the above issues. Myself I would expect a good soak in meths or isoprop. Alcohol to dissolve the salts and fix the problem.

In rare cases due to poor design or porous circuit board substrate you may not be able to fix the problem without replacing the unit. (Remember to remove battery before soaking).

You need to look at the pickup sensor as well, in the Subal case the two pins stuck to the housing, clean between the pins and the whole area around with meths.

At a push I would try vodka, but re do the job again when meths or isoprop. Alcohol was available.

After a 'proper' flood in salt water I would junk the whole assembly, with a battery involved electrolysis will be an issue.

Paul C